Reconciliation

While we believe that human life is infused with the sacramental goodness of God, the Catholic Church has defined seven sacraments - instituted by and through the life of Jesus Christ. It is through the experience of the sacramental ritual that we are infused with God’s grace. The Sacraments nourish and strengthen us as they express and build up our faith.

There are four steps in the Sacrament of Reconciliation:

We feel contrition for our sins and a conversion of heart to change our ways.

We confess our sins and human sinfulness to a priest.

We receive and accept forgiveness (absolution) and are absolved of our sins.

We celebrate God’s everlasting love for us and commit to live out a Christian life.

Sin hurts our relationship with God, ourselves and others. As the Catechism states:

The sinner wounds God’s honor and love, his own human dignity…and the spiritual well-being of the Church, of which each Christian ought to be a living stone. To the eyes of faith no evil is graver than sin and nothing has worse consequences for the sinners themselves, for the Church, and for the whole world. (CCC 1487, 1488)

Individual confession with a priest is the principal means of absolution and reconciliation of grave sins within the Church. The Sacrament of Reconciliation frees us from sinful patterns of behavior and calls us to complete conversion to Christ. Reconciliation heals our sins and repairs our relationships.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation takes place for the children of our parish prior to the Sacrament of First Holy Communion.

Private Confession is held on Saturday at 9:00 am or by appointment. Contact the Parish Office.

Communal Penance is held before Easter and Christmas. See Calendar for dates.